The Four A's of Fiber: "Remember the four A’s of fiber: apples, artichokes, apricots, and avocados. "

Wednesday, June 6, 2007

Belly Aches

I used to be able to eat just about anything I wanted with few consequences. There was that time when I was 17 when I had way too much pizza and I got sick. That kept me off pizza for almost 10 years after that. I had a similar experience with cottage cheese while in college. I have to say that I have yet to regain that craving.

At 44 years old my insides just don't handle much. I'm lactose-intolerant, so I only use soy milk. I drank ALOT of milk growing up; easily a full glass with every meal and often in between meals with a snack. I always wonder if that has anything to do with it.

There are a lot of food myths out there that we use to explain why our tummies bother us. My youngest son says he can't eat apples because he's allergic to them. When I ask him why he thinks that he says, "They make my throat itch!" I have no idea what that feels like, but I'll take his word for it. The bottom line is that if it bothers you, don't eat it.

What I see, however, is how people (including my own husband) eat the things that do give them belly aches anyway! They're willing to pay the price of indigestion, nausea, and the other gastrointestinal ailments the "pink" medicine soothes. Obviously the price isn't high enough. The good feelings they get from eating that ice cream or chocolate or fried food outweighs the bad they feel afterwards.

The problem is that sometimes those who live with them are the ones who pay for it!

And the drug companies get rich - how many commercials do we see for that little purple pill or the pink medicine or the chalky, calcium-enriched antacids? It's big business. . . all because we don't avoid the foods that bother us.

Why is it that we eat what we know we shouldn't? I'm not talking about low fat versus high fat, but foods that hurt us. I must have a low tolerance for indigestion because I'd rather drink soy milk than be doubled over in pain after a glass of milk or a bowl of cereal.

How about you? What foods do you eat that bother your belly?

Want to find out more about what might be causing your belly ache, check out this article.